The GameStop Managers Show can usually uncover some interesting news regarding what we can expect to see on the gaming shelves over the coming months. This year it didn’t fail to deliver with what looked to be photos of Street Fighter IV fighting sticks appearing via the NeoGAF forums.{ad}

The sticks turn out to be officially commissioned by Capcom and are being developed by peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz. Capcom issued a confirmation via its Unity blog stating:

We are working very closely with Mad Catz to produce what we think will be the best fighting sticks and pads ever released, and we’re happy to see the initial reaction has been so positive … stay tuned here for a full breakdown of all the thinking behind their creation and the many special touches we’ve added. For anyone that’s ever been serious about their controllers, I think you’re going to be very, very happy.

I bet a lot of gamers who pick up Street Fighter IV when it comes out won’t have ever played a version of Street Fighter in the arcade. Their experiences will be limited to PlayStation releases and anthology sets.

Still, the fighting sticks are bound to be popular and especially so at the tournaments. Lets hope Mad Catz don’t hold back on quality as these units need to be able to take a real beating.